


I'll See You Soon

by thehxndler



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Friends, F/M, Growing Up, References to Depression, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 09:49:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13211223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehxndler/pseuds/thehxndler
Summary: In a country town in Japan, Konoha is a weird place in Sasuke’s eyes, even though he was born there. Getting used to the quiet life is probably the biggest challenge of his life — but it turns out easy when he meets the girl who will change his life forever. He promises that he’ll do what has to be done to meet Sakura Haruno, the green eyed girl, every year, during the Konoha Festival, which coincides with her birthday.And since life isn’t all colored in pink (literally), this can become Sasuke’s true challenge. How can you guarantee everything will work out when you live on the other side of the planet? How can you be sure you will bealiveuntil the next meeting?





	1. Start

**Author's Note:**

> will I ever not write about my favorite couple of all time? hell no!
> 
> (or: in which I found this resting on my computer files for wayyyyy too long and finally decided to post it.)

The first time Sasuke met Sakura, it was an accident.

Not really an _accident_ , he didn’t hurt himself, nor did hurt Sakura or anything. But it was an awkward meeting. First of all, Sasuke didn’t want to be in Konoha at all. The village was too small, people were too weird in his eyes, everybody knew everybody, which went against all his convictions of being quiet, alone and not putting his nose in anyone’s business. It’s not like Sasuke was an anti-social ( _maybe_ yes), a “mama’s boy” or something of the sort ( _actually_ yes), but he just didn’t like all the attention.

That was until he saw a pink haired girl across the street, smiling and laughing along with a blond guy and a girl with bright grey eyes, so bright Sasuke could see them from a long distance. They all seemed to be the same age, basically _Sasuke’s_ age, and also looked like they were having fun with whatever they were doing.

“Sasuke, dear,” his mother caught him staring. The boy looked up. “Your father and I are going to the grocery store buy some things before heading to grandma’s house. Why don’t you try to find something else to do?”

“Huh?” Sasuke frowned. “I don’t—”

“You see the blondie over there?” Sasuke’s mother put a hand on his shoulder, looking at the group on the other side. “He’s the son of the leader of the village. I know him.”

“You’re friends with the… leader?”

“Of course,” Mikoto Uchiha smiled widely. “The Uzumaki family has been our best friends for ever, Sasuke,” she chuckled. “I think you were too young last time you saw them…”

“Hey, Mikoto!” a masculine voice shouted from afar. Sasuke and his mother turned to look at who was calling. “You arrived!”

“Minato,” Mikoto hugged him, kind and friendly as usual. Sasuke then realized that Minato was a blond man, with spiky hair and eyes as blue as a beautiful sky. He had a very cool style; he flicked Sasuke’s hair softly.

“My my,” the man crouched down to look at the boy. “Last time I saw you, your mom was holding you in her arms. All you did was sleep, cry and poop,” he laughed and Mikoto did the same. “You were so small…”

“He has no memories from Konoha,” Mikoto sighed, looking down at Sasuke. “Don’t you remember him, dear?”

“I-I…” Sasuke tried to say, but Minato’s eyes were staring at him along with a wide smile, which intimidated him a bit.

“It’s okay, son. We’ll fix this,” Minato winked playfully to the boy, stood up and touched Mikoto’s shoulder. “It’s amazing to see you guys again. Planning to stay this time?”

“We’re just visiting,” Mikoto answered. “Fugaku had a few days off and—”

“This man won’t stop working,” Minato rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. So you’ll be around for Konoha’s Festival, right? Kushina misses you.”

“Absolutely,” Mikoto smiled. “I was just talking about you guys to Sasuke. Your son must be his age now, isn’t he? It’s been so long, I bet he wouldn’t recognize us.”

“Ah yes,” Minato smiled, waving at the group of friends across the street. “He’s only a few months younger than Sasuke.” Then, the brunette realized the blond boy was walking in their direction, smiling and then hugging his father a few seconds later. “Naruto, these are Sasuke and Mikoto. Do you know them?”

“Dad, I know a _lot_ of people,” Naruto rolled his blue eyes and laughed. “But mom talks a lot about you,” he showed a huge smile to Mikoto. “You must be the Uchihas, right?”

“Oh God, you’re all grown up!” Mikoto put a hand in front of her mouth and laughed. “I guess we’re too old now, Minato.”

“Naruto, why don’t you walk around the village with Sasuke?” Minato nodded and grinned again. “I’m going to help his mother while they’re here. Introduce him to Konoha, hm?”

“Sure!” Naruto widened his blue eyes and looked at Sasuke. “Let’s go! I have a few friends you will _love_.”

Sasuke looked at his mother again, as if asking for permission to go with Naruto – the woman just winked at him and smiled. _Yes, you may go. Have fun, sweetheart_ , it was what she was thinking, and it was like he could hear her thoughts. Sasuke nodded and showed a small smile to her, and then started running after Naruto.

“I hope they get along,” Mikoto said as she watched her son leave. “Sasuke is usually so alone. The only friend he has is Itachi, basically.”

“I’m sure Naruto will take good care of him,” Minato crossed his arms in front of his chest; hope was burning in his eyes. “They were born to be friends, after all. Everything is going to be just fine.”

Sasuke looked back, waving at his mother, who waved back. Then, he disappeared of her sight.

 

XxX

 

Sasuke knew a few things – _first_ , Naruto was really talkactive. _Second_ , Naruto talked a lot. _Third_ , apparently Naruto didn’t know when to stop talking.

But he couldn’t really blame the boy for it. He was energic and probably hyperactive, and all he wanted was to make Sasuke feel as if he was home. And he _was –_ Sasuke was born in Konoha, even though he couldn’t remember. Naruto could be tiring to be with, but he was a funny and welcoming kid. Sasuke didn’t know someone could be like this apart from his mother, also known as The Sweetest Person On Earth, the person who he had no problem talking to. And sure, there was Itachi, who was the best brother someone could ever ask for.

“My father is a known man,” Naruto said, smiling and his hands of the nape of his neck. “I didn’t know his friends had kids, though. Most of them are boring adults.”

“Uh, I…” Sasuke tried to keep the conversation. “Looks like our parents are friends. Hm…”

 _Good_.

“The girls will go crazy for you,” Naruto laughed. “I mean, it’s not every day that we see someone from the outside. I must confess even I’m impressed.”

“ _The outside_?” Sasuke frowned.

“Yeah, dude.” Naruto nodded. “We usually don’t have many visitors. Also, we don’t cross the boundaries all the time. Basically if you’re in Konoha, you stay in Konoha for your own safety, you know?”

“So…” Sasuke looked everywhere – the houses, the people, everything seemed so well organized and… _happy_? For some reason, Konoha seemed to be a nice place. He really did feel like he went there once in the past, there was something in his heart saying that he knew that place, but his memory can’t recall a single thing. It was perfectly understood as _déjà vu._ “No one ever leaves the village?”

“Sometimes,” Naruto shrugged. “But people like it here, so they stay. We have great schools, hospitals, theaters and universities, not to mention our own techlogy base. Unless they have another opportunities, like… uh, _your_ family, I think.”

“I guess so,” Sasuke mumbled.

“Naruto-kun!” a suave voice cut through their small talk. “Oh, you brought company.”

Sasuke looked to whoever said this – it was the Super Grey Eyes he saw a few minutes ago. She was smaller than both of them, had a fragile face and body, along with short black hair and pale skin. She was cute, like a porcelain doll. Sasuke tried to smile – _tried_ ; he looked like he just ate something and didn’t like the taste. The girl chuckled and her cheeks turned to a soft red tint.

“Hinata, this is Sasuke,” Naruto pointed at the brunet. She waved hello and he only nodded, then looked away. “He’s an outsider. I’m showing him around.”

“Sasuke?” Hinata furrowed her thin eyebrows together. “I know this name.”

“I’m from the Uchiha family,” Sasuke finally decided to say. It wasn’t time to act shyly or arrogant. “My, uh… part of my family lives here.”

“Oh, we have a tourist,” a different voice spoke. It was a feminine, soft voice just like Hinata’s.

The pink haired girl. The girl Sasuke saw earlier, talking with Naruto. She was, by far, the prettiest girl Sasuke had ever seen. Her pink hair was different, too different from what he was used to see – her eyes here petrifying, green as emerald, hypnotizing and always alert. Her face was welcoming, made him feel like he was, definitely, home. It’s like he knew her for so long and now they finally had time to meet again.

“I’m Sakura Haruno,” the girl offered her hand and Sasuke shook it after a few seconds staring at her, before it started to get weird. “It’s nice to meet you, Sasuke-kun.”

Silence.

“Uh, hi,” Sasuke cleaned his throat and put his hand on the back of his neck, looking away. “Nice…” _Shut up, Sasuke_ , he thought. “Nice name. It means… _flower_ or _spring_ or something like that, mhm. Cool.”

“He’s funny,” Hinata whispered to Naruto, who laughed softly.

“It actually means _cherry blossom_ ,” Sakura corrected him, with a gentle smile on her face. _This explains the hair_. “But thank you, Sasuke-kun. Your name is very charming as well.”

“Isn’t it the name of the Third Hokage’s father?” Hinata crossed her arms and wondered.

“It is,” Sakura nodded in affirmation.

“The Third Hokage?” Sasuke asked. He didn’t understand a thing about Konoha and its rules or anything. He was truly lost in there.

“The Hokage is the leader of our village,” Naruto said. “My father is the fourth.”

“Oh,” Sasuke raised his eyebrows in surprise. He never met someone related to politics or anything like that. Sure, his father now working at multinational company and he knew people from everywhere who always visited his house. But a _Hokage_? It was like meeting the President, or the Prime Minister, or the Pope. Someone cool and totally far away from his reality. And Naruto was his _son_. And their parents were _friends_. This was too much. “This is nice,” he tried to sound excited, but right now he was feeling really scared for some reason. _Too forced_.  Does he only know how to say ‘nice’? “I guess.”

“We should show him the Hokage Rock!”

 

xXx

 

Sasuke spent the whole day walking around Konoha along with Naruto, Hinata and Sakura. The blond boy walked on the front of the small group, talking with the brunette and making her laugh. On the back, Sasuke walked side by side with Sakura in absolute silence – he wanted to say something, but he had no idea how to start proper conversation; it was thanks to Naruto he still remembered how to talk with strangers, “make friends”.

Casually, he’d looked at Sakura and checked the small smile across her face, her eyes looking straight to her front – once, she caught him staring and laughed when he looked away, feeling his cheeks burning.

“So, may I ask why you’re here?” realizing that Sasuke wouldn’t talk, Sakura decided to take the initiative. “Visiting your family, I guess?”

“Ah, yes… that,” Sasuke nodded and crossed his arms in front of his chest, still walking. “My… grandparents live here. My parents, brother and I are here for a few days.”

“This is very cool,” Sakura smiled again. “Must’ve been a long trip.”

“Yeah. But I slept during the way here,” Sasuke shrugged. “Too many hours inside the plane and… Actually I _didn’t_ sleep,” he rolled his eyes. “My brother was poking my face the entire flight. I took a few naps.”

“Wow, so you didn’t come by car?” Sakura widened her green eyes. Sasuke frowned. “I mean, usually visitors live close so they can use cars. But you must live pretty far.”

“The airport is still too far, but we have a car. Yeah. This village is in the middle of nowhere, I don’t understand how it is possible to live here.”

Sakura’s smile vanished suddenly, then Sasuke realized that maybe that was too rude. He was talking about her _home_ , after all. The place where she spent the past twelve years of her life. Apparently she didn’t know how it was like to live on _the outside_ , like him.

Sasuke closed his eyes and sighed.

“My mom said the festival here is very beautiful,” he tried to make it up for his bad behavior. He wouldn’t say ‘I’m sorry’ or something, though – he didn’t feel like he should, it wasn’t like he pushed her off of a cliff or anything. “I’m curious about it.”

“The Konoha Festival?” Sakura’s smile came back. _Good. I like it better._ “It’s my favorite day of the year. It is very beautiful and everybody feels so happy!”

“Shouldn’t your favorite day of the year be your birthday?” Sasuke raised an eyebrow. “It’s mine, at least.”

“Oh, that’s because…” Sakura looked down at her feet, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. “That’s because the Konoha Festival happens on the day I was born, actually. That’s why it’s my favorite day.”

Sasuke looked at her and they felt a warm feeling inside of him.

“I guess I’ll be here to celebrate it, then.”

 

xXx

 

Now, it’s been two weeks since Sasuke first met Sakura. He decided to leave his old self behind and tried to dive in the whole new world in front of him.

And, right now, the whole new world was reduced to a pair of green eyes and freckles on her smile making him blush lightly.

“So looks like you were born here too,” Sakura said once they were walking the street together, alone this time. Even though it was late night, people were cheering, talking and smiling and laughing; kids were running playfully, couples were walking around with their fingers intertwined. The Konoha Festival finally arrived. “Your family is pretty respected in our village.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke sighed. “But I don’t feel like I belong here or anything. _Apparently_ I was born in Konoha, but I don’t have any memories. I moved when I was really young and… As Naruto said once, I’m an outsider.”

“You’ve had the privilege to see the outside with your own eyes,” Sakura looked at the night sky as if she was daydreaming. Sasuke looked at her. In 15 minutes she’d be thirteen just like him, but she already looked so much older, so _unattainable_ , so far for _his_ world. And God, she was. Sasuke knew she was – in a couple of days he’d be forced to leave her behind, to leave her in Konoha, and be back to his routine. “Everything I know it’s because I’ve read books.”

But he could enjoy while he could. He _should_.

“What do you know about… everything?” Sasuke asked, curiosity becoming a heavy load on his back. He wanted to listen Sakura talking nonstop – he wanted to know everything about her. He wish he could take pictures with his eyes, scared he’d somehow forget about this girl, this random girl who made her way into his life and had such an effect on him. Someday, maybe he would. He didn’t know how much longer it would take for him to come back to the village. Just thinking about spending two minutes too far already seemed like an eternity. “I mean, books are cool. My brother reads a lot.”

“I read about how’s life in other countries mostly. And Medicine, of course. I think I want to be a doctor someday.” Sakura looked at him and smiled. “Help and protect people. Yeah, I think it’s something I’d like to do.”

“You can study here in Konoha,” Sasuke said. “I mean, I bet the Hokage will let you get into Konoha University.”

“I have to pass a lot of exams so this can happen,” Sakura chuckled. “But we’re too young to think about this now.”

“Itachi says the same…” Sasuke muttered.

“Who?”

“Itachi,” Sasuke repeated a bit hesitant. Wasn’t he talking about his family too damn much? But he had no one to blame – he only lived with them, he had no real bond with other people, and Itachi really was the only person apart from their mother that would actually listen to him. “My brother. He’s preparing himself to take exams for college.”

“Oh, really? What does he want to do?”

“Something related to arts.” Sasuke replied and Sakura frowned – she didn’t understand why the brunet looked sad talking about his brother right now. “My father thinks it’s the biggest mistake of his life. My mom’s afraid he won’t get anywhere once he’s graduated, even though he’s good at drawing, painting and stuff. Life for artists can be really tough.”

“This is…” Sakura didn’t know what to say. She had never met a boy her age that had to deal with such… adulthood problems. That’s because Itachi was the man Sasuke aspired to be, so if Itachi had problems, Sasuke was afraid he might be following the same path. “Hm, if your brother is just as strong as you, he’ll follow his dream no matter what.”

“I hope so,” Sasuke showed a small smile. “He’s truly talented. Julliard will love him.”

“Julliard?”

“Ah, the university.” Sasuke blinked a few times, remembering that he’d have to explain everything to Sakura, since she didn’t know much about his life. _Cool_. He didn’t even realize he was having a proper conversation with her without puking or being awkwardly quiet or severe. One hundred per cent _cool_. “It’s like, one of the best universities in the state I live. I, uh, I live in New York, by the way.”

“Oh!” Sakura widened her eyes. “I’ve read about this place once. It’s a really beautiful city. _So_ far away from here…”

“Yeah,” Sasuke started to get excited. It was good that Sakura was so nice to him and seemed to be interested in him as a person, totally different from most kids he knew – rich children with rich families who worked with his father. “It took us fifteen hours to get here.”

“You leave on the other side of the planet,” Sasuke laughed softly. “This is… _wow_. This is really awesome, Sasuke-kun.”

He smiled.

_My name sounds better with your voice._

“There you are!” Naruto shouted from afar. He was with Hinata, as usual. Sasuke started to wonder if they had feelings for each other or were somehow related. “It’s time, Sakura-chan! Are you ready?”

“I’m always ready!” Sakura put both hands on her hips and winked at the blondie. “Do the count down with me! Five!”

“Four!” everyone on the street they were and the entire village started to make the countdown. Naruto and Hinata were jumping with excitement just like Sakura, and Sasuke didn’t really know what to do but count with them and show a little smile. “Three! Two! One!”

“Happy birthday, Sakura-chan!” Hinata and Naruto said in unison, hugging the pink haired girl. Sasuke looked up to the sky and saw a ton of fireworks exploding in beautiful colors – it reminded him of New Year’s Eve, but in a normal day. Actually, a _normal_ day if he was in New York – Konoha was different. It was a true celebration for them. It was like New Year’s Eve but in the middle of the year, instead. Most of all, it was Sakura’s birthday, so it _was_ a good day, an important one, and this was enough.

Sasuke looked at the trio – now everyone was looking to the sky, their eyes petrified and totally hypnotized by the colors and sparks above them. He didn’t realize that Sakura was right by his side, and their hands brushed softly together. Sasuke felt as if electricity started to run on his bloodstream, making his heart beat faster and his lungs forget how to breathe for a nanosecond. Sakura looked back at him and laughed, closing her hand on a fist and hiding it behind her back, as if saying ‘I’m sorry, this was… embarrassing, I guess?’

“Hey, Sakura,” he tried to say above the noise. She looked at him. “Happy, uh… Happy birthday.”

Then she hugged him and whispered:

“I wanna see fireworks in New York, someday.”

He didn't know exactly what to do, and before he could hug her back or think ‘no, don’t touch me!’, she parted from him and received a hug from someone else – a blond girl with a huge fringe and blue eyes. _Happy birthday, Sakura!_ And then, _thanks Ino, I love you guys_ and...

Sasuke spotted his family and Itachi waved at him. They have been in Konoha it's been two weeks already – and in three days they'd leave again. Right now, it was time for Sasuke to talk to his parents about the other family members he should say goodbye to, spend a few time with his grandparents. After all, ever since he put his feet in the village, he didn't stop being around Naruto and Sakura all the time, every day.

Sakura looked at him again. _It's time to say farewell, I guess._

 _I wanna see the fireworks in New York, someday_ , he remembered. Then, he got closer to her and raised two fingers, touching her forehead.

“I'll see you soon,” he said.

It was a promise.


	2. Unplanned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the second year Sasuke is going to Konoha. 
> 
> What he didn't expect, though, was that the universe had bigger plans for him.

Sasuke Uchiha was back in the village every year for the Konoha Festival – and he loved it/ he found out that the festival was a celebration after the Leaf Revolution, when the hokage back in that day got to destroy the Akatsuki, the group responsible for Konoha’s dictatorship.  It really was a beautiful day, an event that extended the whole day and night – there were fireworks, music, a celebration to Konoha’s culture after three wars they’ve been through.

Sasuke woke up and jumped out of his bed very quickly. It was too early in the morning, he shouldn’t feel the energy he was feeling, but he smiled as soon as he got dressed and looked at the calendar – March 28th, Sakura’s birthday. It was so close. In a week, she’d be fifteen. He remembered when she asked him through the phone how it was like to be this age. He laughed and said that it was nice, nothing really changed but his voice and… a few things on his body that he’d rather not tell a girl.

“Wake up, Itachi!” He slapped his brother’s head lightly. “Come on, mom will get angry! Dad has already packed everything!”

“Shut up…” Itachi muttered, hugging his pillow tighter. “I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“No!” Sasuke whined. “We need to leave now or else we’ll miss the flight.”

“Goddamn it,” Itachi sat on his bed and passed his fingers through his hair. “You used to almost cry whenever mom said we’re going to Konoha. Now you get all excited. What the hell, Sasuke?”

“I’m just sick of this place right now,” Sasuke put his black jacket on. “Plus, Naruto is waiting for me so we can play Assassin’s Creed together. Don’t you love that game?”

“It’s a nice game, but too violent, don’t you think?” Itachi laughed and flicked his brother hair. When they were younger, it was easier to make Sasuke angry with this action, but somehow the young brother was now taller and Itachi didn’t understand how hormones worked – he wasn’t with an angry face anymore, just looked bored all the time. “What about your little girlfriend, hm?”

“It’s her birthday next week.” Sasuke said without thinking – then, there was Itachi, smirking with a suggestive look and arms crossed in front of his naked chest. Sasuke just realized _what_ he said. “Really, Itachi… How old are you? Five? Are you seriously in college? You’re such a jerk.”

“My baby has a girlfriend!” Itachi hugged Sasuke’s head. “You better protect yourself from now on, Sasuke.”

“God, _stop_!” Sasuke pushed his brother away, who was still laughing. “She’s not my… _girlfriend_. We’re good friends, that’s all. She keeps me updated about grandma and stuff.”

“Sure, ‘cause mom doesn’t have a phone or is able to talk,” Itachi rolled his onyx eyes.

“You both better be ready, your dad didn’t sleep all night and is so mad about the company today…” Mikoto Uchiha walked inside the bedroom and caught both her sons.

“What happened?” Itachi said looking for a shirt and sweatpants inside of his wardrobe. “Did he finally realize that money and power won’t save us all?” He used the best of his sarcasm – he knew his parents didn’t approve his kind of humor. “Oh Lord, what a shame.”

“ _Itachi_ ,” Mikoto scolded him. “You better not fight him today.”

“Or what?” Itachi looked at his mother with an intense look – the one Sasuke, sometimes, was scared of. Itachi didn’t use to get angry or be rude with anyone, he was the perfect older brother, his _role model_ , but when it came to his parents, Sasuke didn’t understand why Itachi used to fight them so much all the time. “Will you kill me? I’d be forced to see y’all in hell again.”

“Sasuke…” Mikoto sighed and looked at the younger boy. “ _Please_ make sure you guys are ready soon. We’re leaving in half an hour.”

Sasuke nodded and looked at Itachi again with a surprised look. Then, he pointed at the door.

“Why do you always talk to them like that?” he asked. “They don’t hate you. No one does. Why then?”

“You’re too young, Sasuke,” Itachi wore his shirt and then headed to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. “You don’t understand half the things the Uchiha family does in the company they work for. It’s just… disgusting.”

Sasuke crossed his arms and huffed, looking away. Then, Itachi smiled and came close to him, raising two fingers and poking his brother’s forehead softly, like he used to do ever since they were little.

“What I want is to get you out of this,” he said with a suave voice. “I’ll do whatever is possible to save us. Together or not at all, huh?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke tried to look angry, but then Itachi hugged him again and soon there was a silly smile plastered on his face. “Together or not at all.”

“Now, now… Tell me about your girlfriend.”

“Itachi!”

 

xXx

 

There were a few things that would shut Itachi up, a few things that Sasuke learned throughout the years living with his brother. Those things were _sweets_. Sweets were justice, the answer, Itachi's Holy Grail, basically. Any kind of candy was enough to make him feel like the world was a peaceful place, like he didn't have a single problem in his life. Fortunately, Sasuke realized this when he offered all of the sweets his mother gave him to Itachi during the flight. He didn't like the taste of most of it, anyway – it was too artificial, made his mouth and throat go dry, and sometimes it had so many colors that his teeth and tongue would make him look like he was a preschooler. On the other hand, Itachi loved it. It made him forget how _salty_ people around him actually were.

Sasuke slept the entire flight. Itachi was awake beside him, holding his hand since apparently his little brother was afraid of planes but wouldn't ever confess. It was funny – he was 15, used to say he was a grown man already, but for Itachi, he'd always be the little brother who needed protection and deserved the world.

“I love you,” he whispered while Sasuke was asleep, resting his head on his brother's shoulder. Itachi smiled weakly, poking his forehead, like he always did. Usually Sasuke would complain, but since their first trip to Konoha, he didn't seem to hate this action anymore.

When they finally arrived at the airport, they still had to take a car and travel for at least two hours until the village. It was a quiet trip for forty minutes. Itachi was feeling tired, even though sweets gave him enough energy to spend the entire flight awake. Sasuke was looking through the window with widened eyes, excited; his legs were bouncing lightly – his brother looked at him and smiled. He knew what Sasuke was feeling. It was always nice to visit Konoha.

Especially now, he had a promise to keep.

“Do you like being in Konoha, Sasuke?” His father asked. Since they were from that village, the family (everyone but the youngest boy) knew pretty well the way so they could get there. The Uchihas had a private car waiting for them.

“Of course he does,” Itachi answered for his brother. Then, he muttered: “Everything is okay as long as he's safe there, away from you.”

“Hey,” Sasuke whispered to his brother, scolding him; his eyes were begging for him to not fight their parents, like his mother asked before they left their house back in New York. “Yes, father. I do,” he said it louder. “It’s a great place.”

“It's a great village indeed,” Mikoto smiled widely and looked over her shoulder, catching Sasuke's smile. “A good place to have a family, to settle down… Also, I think it's good for the kids to visit other countries. Knowledge is always worth it.”

“Konoha has one of the best universities…” Fugaku sighed and put both hands on the wheel.

“Sasuke has the best grades at school,” his mother said proudly. “Our little boy is just as smart as our precious artist.”

“I'm not an artist, mom,” Itachi felt his cheeks becoming red. “Not yet.”

“Maybe Sasuke will follow the right steps,” Fugaku Uchiha sighed again. “At least I hope so.”

“As long as he does what _he_ wants, without any intervention," Itachi snapped, “yes, he will follow the right steps.”

“Itachi,” Mikoto closed both her eyes, “please…”

“You better start working for real, Itachi,” Fugaku didn't stop. The oldest brother widened his eyes and crossed his arms. “I'm thinking about letting Sasuke live in Konoha for the next years and study in there. Then maybe he can work for the Uchiha company.”

“You can't do that!” Itachi tried to defend his brother even though Sasuke didn't understand much about this conversation, and was following it like a tennis match. “Sasuke may like Konoha, but what if he wants something different? Also, he can't live alone!”

“He has the Uzumaki family, dear,” Mikoto said in a calm voice. “New York is too noisy for his head. You see, he has no one to talk to. In Konoha he has a bunch of people who love him.”

“Wait a minute,” Sasuke frowned. “Why are you talking as if you're giving me away?! And why is nobody ever asking me what _I_ think about it?! I don't wanna think about university yet! Itachi is right – what if I want something _different_?!”

“You have to grow up, Sasuke,” his father raised his voice. The car was now in a higher speed. “You see, your brother won't get anywhere with Arts school. He’s a prodigy and all his knowledge and energy is being _wasted_. You need to do something for your future, then.”

“I can spend my future with him!” he exclaimed. “He can take care of me when finds a place of his own. He's my brother, after all.”

“Sasuke, Itachi is still too young for such responsibility,” his mother explained calmly. “A child can't take care of another one.”

“Stop acting as if we're dumb!” Itachi said. “I’ll give my all, anytime, for him. I can protect Sasuke. I _can_!”

“You don't know the things I've done for this family, especially for you and your brother!” Fugaku shouted at him. Mikoto gasped when she realized the road was too dark, the car too fast, Sasuke eyes were watering and Itachi's face was red with anger. “You _have_ to do a lot of sacrifices! You don’t understand what is it, Itachi.”

“I know pretty well!” Itached shouted back. “You should trust me for this!”

“Fugaku!” Mikoto screamed and pointed to the front – all they could see, inside the car, were bright lights coming too fast in their direction. It was a truck – it would hit them within seconds and destroy everything. “Watch out!”

Fugaku Uchiha couldn't stop the car in time even if he really wanted. Sasuke screamed for his brother, the closest person, and then everything happened to fast – but, for a second, in slow motion right before his eyes. It was like Itachi knew this would happen – he kicked the back door open, pushing Sasuke away from him so his younger brother could escape if he was lucky. With the impact, Sasuke was thrown off the car, rolling on the road until he stopped in the grass, without any sign of consciousness. There was only shouting, his mother crying and his father trying to protect his own face. Then, an echo inside of Sasuke's head – as a whisper, when he thought he was going to die right there. Itachi's voice.

 _I love you_.

 

xXx

 

It's been one week since the accident that killed Mikoto, Fugaku and Itachi, and if it wasn't for his brother, Sasuke would be on that list.

Sasuke Uchiha was back in New York. He didn't know how, or why, or who put him on his bed. But he was on his house - the huge apartment close to the Central Park. Then, he opened his eyes slowly. There was a man sitting on the other side of the room, close to the window, reading a book with a small smile on his face - he looked like he was enjoying it. Sasuke furrowed his brow, raising his hands to see what happened - he had a few scars. He didn't want to see his face. God knows how awful it could be. He felt absolute pain everywhere. Sasuke groaned and closed his eyes again.

“You seem to really like sleeping,” the man said, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading. “I see…”

Sasuke opened an eye to spy what was happening around him. This man, this man with silver hair and bored eyes, wearing all black was now looking at him. He didn't look so old. He was a handsome man, in fact. But _who_ was he? He didn't meet him before.

“I'm Kakashi Hatake,” it was like he could read Sasuke's mind. Sasuke didn't say anything, though. “And you?”

Nope. Sasuke wouldn't say a single word.

“Fine…” Kakashi sighed and shrugged. “I enjoy charades, anyway. I have three shots. Hm… Sasuke Uchiha?”

Silence.

“Judging by your face,” Kakashi closed his book and stood up, coming closer to the bed and crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking down at Sasuke, “I guess I'm right. I'm really _that_ good with charades, oh wow.”

Silence.

“Do you wanna know what happened and why I’m here?”

Sasuke wouldn’t hesitate to remain silent and give this treatment to whoever wanted to talk to him.

“ _O… kay_ then,” Kakashi raised his eyebrows and put a hand on the pocket of his black jeans while the other held his book. “Sure, we can talk later, if you _insist_. I need to call someone anyway, now that you’re awake,” he said, turning his back and walking out of Sasuke's bedroom. “Be careful if you try to stand up, kid. I'll be back in a few minutes.”

Sasuke didn't say anything, just turned his head to the side and looked through the window beside his bed, listening the door click when Kakashi closed it behind him. He took a deep breath and tried to change his position, feeling his entire body hurt as if he went on a fight with a professional wrestler. He knew what happened. He knew he was alone in his house with Kakashi. He didn't need this man to tell him that _everyone in the car died except you, Sasuke. You're really lucky. You just had a few scratches and fractured your arm when you jumped out. The door was open and you were thrown off just in time._

Sasuke felt a tear coming out of his eye. Single, heavy, salty, _hurt_. Everyone died but him. They were already in Konoha territory and he wondered if someone, apart from Kakashi, knew what happened. If Naruto went to see him at the hospital. If the Uzumakis payed for his hospital bill. If they went to his parents and brother’s funeral. He even wondered if it was possible for Itachi to be alive actually, and that he could he sleeping in his room, next door. Sasuke was daydreaming about standing up, running to his brother's bedroom and catch him hugging his pillow again, his long soft hair all messed up; sleeping in only sweatpants, naked chest, an unfinished drawing resting on his table, a bunch of books about History and Modern Art decorating his floor - he'd spend the whole night studying. And then Sasuke would wake him up poking his head, just like Itachi used to do with him when he was little and didn't want to go to school. _Wake up, you're going to get late! Wake up._

“Wake up,” Sasuke whispered, closing his eyes tightly. “Wake up, Itachi.”

He didn’t.

He couldn’t.

And he wouldn’t.

Sasuke knew it.

Itachi was dead.

 

xXx

 

“Yeah, he’s okay…” Kakashi said on the phone. Then, he sighed, rubbing his face. “He's still shocked, you know. Didn't say anything.”

“This is fine for now,” it was Minato, Naruto’s father, on the other side of the line. He sighed as well, and was mute for a few seconds. Then: “At least he isn’t losing his mind.”

“ _Yet_. We don’t know how he’ll react when it all makes sense to him.”

“Just keep an eye on him, Kakashi.” Minato demanded. “Sasuke’s a quiet kid, but his mind is always screaming. Make sure he’ll be safe.”

“Yes. He is, already.”

“I mean when he’s by _himself_ , not only with you. We don't know if—”

“He won't try to commit suicide, Minato.” Kakashi said before the man could finish. “He's too smart and I wouldn’t let him. I do expect him to become violent at some point, though.”

“Kakashi.”

“Huh?”

“Take care of _yourself_ as well. Call me if you need anything.”

Kakashi bit his lower lip and nodded. “Sure,” he muttered.

The call ended and Kakashi took a deep breath – he crossed his arms and looked through the window on the huge living room. Kakashi wasn’t a father, husband or brother. He lived a good amount of time by himself, for the exception of a few good friends – he could count how many they were by using only one hand; he didn’t like to have many people in his life. And then there was Sasuke, almost the same, but younger. Independent, cold, distant.

Kakashi decided to forget about this for a second and went back to Sasuke’s bedroom – the boy was asleep again. The maids and doctors what went there before Kakashi arrived said that he had only been eating soup and drinking water. He wanted to see no one, to talk to no one, to eat and drink nothing. It was a true miracle that he didn’t tell Kakashi to leave his room, honestly. The silver haired man expected to have his ass kicked by an angry 15-year-old boy, the rise of an angst heart, a lonely soul from now on.

He closed the door and headed to the guest room, where he decided to stay. Kakashi had to check and sign a lot of contracts, call a bunch of people, try to contain the journalists wondering what happened to the Uchihas – especially Fugaku Uchiha, The Tycoon, The Great Man, The Business Role Model. Kakashi Hatake didn’t know much about how was everyday life for them, but judging by how the news were spread and the phone didn’t stop ringing for a second, he could only guess that it was, well, _the life of a busy family_. He felt like they could have their own reality show; their socialite life being an example for a bunch of people everywhere around the world.

But Sasuke seemed to be different. Yes, he looked like an arrogant teenager who thinks the Earth spins around him, but also, looks can be a good disguise. Kakashi looked a few photos in their living room decoration – Sasuke was always there, smiling, especially when around his brother. They looked like they were the best of friends. Like they truly completed each other, and Itachi had a motherly figure towards the younger boy.

Kakashi wondered what would be Sasuke first step after his family death. Would he keep living his life as the genius he was at school and run his parents’ business? Would he start getting into trouble? Or maybe he’d discover _new_ ways to deal with his pain, and that would lead him to self-destruction?

Kakashi clicked his tongue, making a ‘tch’ echo through the entire hallway. Quiet. Quiet and cold. Just like Sasuke.

He’d give his best to save this guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twitter: @springwrites


	3. New Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke is finally awake, and he needs to be thankful for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Here's the new chapter and I hope you guys like it. Let me know in the comments or on twitter (@springwrites)!
> 
> Forgive me for any grammar mistakes. <3

Even though Sasuke was feeling an absurd pain, he still could stand up and finally leave his bed, heading to the bathroom and take a shower without any help. He’d always stare at his hands and arms, watching the scratches and little scars decorating his pale skin – he’d always feel surprised by them, as if he couldn’t believe this actually happened. It wasn’t like he lost his memory – he could replay the accident inside of his head over and over, how many times he wanted, for how many _hours_ he wanted –, but it still was something that’d catch him off guard. The least expected.

He left out a relieved sigh when he felt the warm water splashing against his skin – no matter how many showers he took, he’d always feel dirty, thick blood plastered on him and grass and earth sticking to his clothes, his nose, like penetrating through his body, as if he’d become concrete and be there forever. Every time he took a bath, it was like a small feeling of freedom, emptiness, his mind would only be filled with the water noise and not the screaming, the crashing, _hell_.

When it started to burn and feel uncomfortable to his exposed wounds, Sasuke left the bathroom and dressed clean clothes, right before running his fingers through his black hair, closing his eyes and sighing, then he looked at his feet. _It isn’t a normal day_ , he thought. _It wasn’t a normal bath, those aren’t normal clothes, and this isn’t my house anymore_.

Then, he went to the kitchen. The apartment was in absolute silence, and Sasuke wondered if that man, Kakashi, was still around, or maybe he just left. Or maybe he died. Sasuke wouldn’t feel surprised if that happened.

He wasn’t hungry, but he sat on the table and rested his chin on his head, looking at the white wall in front of him. Usually his mother would be there, humming a song while cooking, since she preferred to make the meals for him and Itachi. And he’d always sit there, with a silly smile on his face, and sometimes he’d even sing with her and help her doing the dishes or maybe cutting vegetables. His brother would run in their direction and kiss both of them, talking about how he’d like to visit the Louvre and how he wanted Sasuke to come with him. Mikoto would say they were too young to travel alone, that she trusted Itachi and wanted him to take care of his little brother for now, so they could maybe discuss about that trip. And Sasuke would be the happiest guy in the world, Itachi would kiss his mother face again, over and over, saying how much he loved her and she was the best mom ever.

But this would never happen again.

“Yo,” a smooth voice interrupted his thought abruptly. “You’re out of your bedroom. Nice.”

Sasuke didn’t say anything, but he could see the silhouette with the corner of his eye. No, Kakashi Hatake didn’t leave the apartment. He was still there. He didn’t die. _Nice_.

“So…” the silver haired man came closer and rubbed the back of his neck, “I, uh, I’m not a perfect cook, but, um… I must confess this one tastes really good.”

Kakashi walked until he reached for the microwave and took a plate out of there, putting in front of Sasuke on the table, and sitting on the opposite side of the boy, facing him.

“I’ve heard it’s your favorite so I thought about trying to make something special,” Kakashi said, trying to smile. “Omusubi with okaka and tomatoes. It’s like eating a hug.”

Sasuke looked at the plate and then back at Kakashi, raising an eyebrow.

“Not hungry,” he muttered, looking away. Kakashi fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“You’re a growing boy,” the man said. “Gotta eat some.”

“I’m. Not. Hungry,” Sasuke said louder through gritted teeth.

This time, Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“Alright, then,” he took a deep breath. Then, silence started to float over them again. Sasuke would look everywhere but Kakashi’s face, and Kakashi wouldn’t even pretend he wasn’t staring at the boy.

“What happened?” Sasuke questioned, now his vulnerable voice coming out of his throat. Kakashi raised both his eyebrows and yawned. _Okay. Time for That Talk. Let’s do this._

“Instant death.” Kakashi replied with a cool, smooth voice; baritone. He didn’t want to explain details – he trusted Sasuke enough to believe he’d be smart to guess what he was talking about. It was the best way to have That Talk without tears and a possible violent behavior. “I don’t know if I should say that you’re lucky or not. I guess—”

“I’m not.”

“You’re _not_ , sure,” Kakashi nodded quickly. “But it depends on the point of view, don’t you think?”

Sasuke looked up at him furrowing his eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Kakashi shrugged, “yeah, you lost your family in a horrible accident, but you’re alive, you know? Must be good not… _dying_. I don’t know. Just a guess. You’re young and handsome, there’s so much ahead of you.”

Sasuke looked away again, showing a shy smile. Kakashi smiled as well. _Yeah, it’s good to be alive. I think I was born again._

“I’ve been sent by Minato to help you, you know, _keep living_.” Kakashi continued and Sasuke looked at him again, nodding.

“Naruto’s father?”

“Yes.”

“What exactly do you do, Kakashi?”

“ _Exactly_ is such a precise word…” Kakashi crossed his arms. “I do many things. I breathe, for example.”

“I mean your work.” Sasuke insisted.

“Am I being interviewed again? Man, this is boring… But I, hm… I really do a lot of things. I work for—slash—am friends with Minato. You know them, right? The Uzumakis. They told me a lot about you. Apparently you visit Konoha every year for the Festival. Great date, isn’t it?”

Sasuke widened his onyx eyes.

“Sakura’s birthday,” he remembered. “It’s… this week. Why am I not—”

“In Konoha? Minato thought it’d be better for you to come back home. Your grandparents thought it’d be good as well. They’re were thinking about moving to live here with you so you wouldn’t have to move out to the, hm, _other side of the planet_ , a whole new country and culture that isn’t as close as your own right now. So you wouldn’t suffer twice in a short period of time. It’d be too much.”

“I—” Sasuke interrupted his own sentence. He was about to say that _yes_ , it was okay if he had to move to Konoha… but _no_. It would be a lie. His grandparents were right – even though he liked to spend some time in the village, it was too different, it would take him ages to get used to the new places, people, and packing everything he had. He knew the language pretty well, it was almost his mother language. He had friends, still had part of his family. But just thinking that his parents and brother once were there with him made him cringe and want to lay on the floor to think about the meaning of the universe – _what am I doing here? I’m so lost. I have no reason to live anymore._

“Exactly, you _can’t_. You’re in the middle of your high school year, I think. What are you, a freshman?”

“I’m graduating this year,” Sasuke muttered. It was Kakashi’s turn to widen his eyes.

“Aren’t you fifteen or something?”

“Started school really young and…” Sasuke tried to explain. “I don’t know. I just—Yeah, I just excel all my classes. Didn’t Minato tell you that?”

“You’re a very unique human being.” Kakashi said with a chuckle. “And no, Minato didn’t tell me about this. He just said you’re very clever and would get used to my presence quickly. I didn’t have the time to discuss with him about your personal life apart from what happened. I’m an agent, if you’d like to see it that way.”

“An _agent_?”

“Yeah. If you know Minato, you know he’s Konoha’s current Hokage. Let’s say he’s my boss. I help him take care of… stuff. People included. Never had to babysit a genius teenager, though. This is new for me.”

“How old are you?”

“What?” Kakashi frowned. “The hair is just a charm. You think I’m old?”

“Not really,” Sasuke shrugged. “But you know Minato. You look younger than him.”

“Ah yeah, right.” The man relaxed his shoulders. “I am.”

It wasn’t a precise answer like Sasuke expected, but he could live with that answer and not care much about it. He understood that Minato sent Kakashi to take care of him, because, according to the constitution of the country he was right now, he was still too young to live by himself and needed an adult figure. Funny enough, Sasuke realized Minato was right about him – he already started to see Kakashi normally now, not as an intruder or someone who wanted to take something from him.

Kakashi opened the book on the table and started reading again. Apparently for him The Talk had ended successfully – he knew enough about Sasuke, Sasuke knew enough about him, and they could get to know each other better as the time passed by.

“What is it about?” Sasuke asked after a brief silence.

“Huh?” Kakashi looked up. “You mean…”

“The book.” Sasuke pointed at the red cover. “You look very interested on it. What is it about?” He asked again.

“Stories.”

“What kind of stories?”

“About humans.”

“Oh, evolution or something like that?”

“No, Sasuke,” Kakashi groaned. “It has _nothing_ to do with Darwin or some of your science idols.”

“You don’t know if I do have science idols,” Sasuke raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Yeah right, I don’t know, but I’m guessing you have an IQ higher than Stephen Hawking and Einsten together.”

“I’m not _that_ smart.”

“You’re not _that_ old yet, too.”

Sasuke laughed, cold and convinced. He finally had the change to read the title. _Make Out Paradise._ “ _Porn_.”

Kakashi almost choked with his saliva.

“Eat your food,” he said, not eyeing Sasuke again. “It’s going to get cold.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes and smirked – Kakashi definitely was an interesting man. A friend, maybe? He’d think about it. For now, what the boy did was to start eating his favorite meal slowly, thoughtful. The agent looked at him quickly once, feeling satisfaction starting to grow between them – silence, cold place, but comfortable. Sasuke didn’t notice he was being watched as he was too busy eating and having great memories playing inside of his head. Kakashi curled his lips on a gentle smile, and turned back to his reading.

They’d certainly get along.


	4. Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time, it looks like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's been a while and I know it, but I also can explain. So before you start reading this chapter, let me apologize (or not, you can just skip this and keep reading, it's okay).
> 
> Well, I was on vacation from uni while posting this fanfic, and my job was pretty calm but suddenly everything was a rush. My calm days when I could write and proofread while my boss was peacefully drinking his coffee are gone and now I'm back in full speed everyday. So my classes started again, but good news is I graduate next year! And now I'm organizing my schedule so I can post and write and, you know, breathe sometimes.
> 
> And of course, I decided to give my social life a chance and it was a bad decision because now I'm never home basically. BUT! I will make this work because I love writing and I'm loving the fact that you guys are loving it as well. So let's just swim through this loving energy and keep this going.
> 
> Hope y'll are doing fine, drinking water and having a good time as well! I promise I will finish this and my other fics. Enjoy your reading! <3
> 
> P.S.: This chapter might look small - and it is -, but it's a good one.

It’s been one month already.

And by that, it means that it’s been one month that Kakashi nor Sasuke have a complete night of sleep. That’s because the boy started to have a lot of nightmares, and he’d always wake up screaming in the middle of the night as if he was being stabbed nonstop. _Itachi, Itachi!_ Kakashi would always widen his eyes and not get used to this – he ran to Sasuke’s room only to find the brunet collapsing on his bed, crying and screaming for his brother’s name. _It’s okay, Sasuke. Sasuke, look at me. It’s okay._

_He’s dead. He’s dead! Is it my fault? I should’ve saved him. He wouldn’t get angry. He wouldn’t shout at dad. He wouldn’t die if I didn’t—_

_It’s not your fault, Sasuke. It was an accident. You couldn’t predict it would happen._

_I should be dead._

“We should start thinking about sending him to a therapist,” Kakashi muttered while on the phone with Minato again, the morning after the last incident. “I mean, yeah, he already had his time being alone. And I don’t know if I can alone fix all his problems.”

“Doesn’t he talk to you about anything?” Minato wondered. “You’ve been with him for a while now.”

“He’s suspicious of everyone and everything, Minato. And I understand that – he’s somehow famous because of his father, living in the shadows of this family. He didn’t have time for creating an identity for himself.”

“You think so?”

“Yes, I do. Especially because of his brother,” Kakashi explained while looking at a picture. “Itachi has been overprotective for years, ever since Sasuke was born. So he’s kinda… lost now.”

“I see…” Minato sighed. Kakashi knew him very well and could see the blond rubbing his temple and closing his eyes, thinking of an alternative to fix this problem. The man came to a conclusion, a suggestion, perhaps even a demand in disguise: “But he has you to watch over him.”

“We don’t know for how long,” Kakashi felt his shoulders getting tense. Then, he took a deep breath. “Just wanted to keep you updated so you can check another options.”

“Thanks, Kakashi,” Kakashi could feel Minato was smiling. “You know, we’re all worried about him. Naruto especially haven’t shut up asking for news; apparently Sasuke has blocked all his contacts. It’s sad that his best friend is too far for him to visit.”

“I’d suggest you to make him a surprise, but I guess Sasuke would hate that. He doesn’t even leave his room.”

“How’s he going at school?”

“He’s not. He’s being home schooled for the last year.”

“Really? He doesn’t want to go anywhere?”

“Can’t blame him,” Kakashi shrugged and walked through the hallway, looking for said young boy he was talking about.

Itachi’s bedroom door was opened, the blinds closed and a single lamp was on. Kakashi tried to hide so Sasuke wouldn’t see him – the boy was sat down on his brother’s chair, looking at the drawings and paintings on the table. Everything was still messy, like Itachi used to be – a true hurricane; unpredictable, fast, inspiration burning inside of him and overflowing from his body. Sasuke gave an order to the servants to not lay a finger in Itachi’s bedroom, to leave as the way it was. The young boy could still sense his smell, energy and presence, sometimes. He just needed to sit on his chair and take a deep breath, embracing the silence around him – _peaceful_ , like Itachi.

Kakashi never saw Sasuke there, though. Must have been the first time he decided to ‘make contact’ with his dead brother. The silver haired man could hear that Minato was still talking to him on the phone, but he didn’t really _listen_ to his words. He was staring at such a sad, but beautiful scene. He didn’t know Sasuke was a deep boy like this – he truly was mature for his age. He was suffering, but trying to make this his biggest strength.

Then, the bell rang. Kakashi widened his eyes and left the place as fast as he could, afraid Sasuke would caught him. Then, he ended the phone call with Naruto’s father and headed to the front door.

When he opened, a red haired girl wearing glasses looked up, furrowing her eyebrows together.

“Oh, I, uh—” she tried to say, but was tongue-tied. Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

“May I help you, miss?”

Sasuke walked quietly to their direction and could watch them from afar – Kakashi didn’t realize; he didn’t know Sasuke expected visitors or anything.

“I’m Karin,” the girl said, her cheeks matching her hair color. “From Sasuke’s school. Our, uh, teacher asked me to bring him homework and some annotations since he’s been missing class.”

“Oh?” Kakashi frowned. “I went to your school and told the teachers Sasuke was being home schooled now, so he already has all of this.”

“I… I see…” Karin looked at her feet and laughed nervously. “W-Weird…”

“Totally, right?” Kakashi said with sarcasm, but Karin couldn’t understand. “Communication these days, I swear to God…”

“S-Sasuke,” the ginger girl could see him. The raven haired boy raised his head to look at her. Kakashi looked over his shoulder – _oh, he’s there. Good._ “I’ve heard what happened. I’m…”

She was probably expecting him to come up with an apology – _sorry for being a little too far from everyone recently, I just needed some time to take care of myself. Let’s hang out someday and catch up, okay? It’d be nice. I’ll call you._

But he didn’t say anything.

“I’m truly sorry,” she said, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear. “If you… need anything, someone to talk to, please let me know.”

Sasuke looked away and crossed his arms. He didn’t need or wanted anyone showing him _mercy_. It was pathetic, made him look like a fool, vulnerable.

“He surely will,” Kakashi broke the silence and showed the girl a smile. As much as he enjoyed watching this scene unfold in front of his eyes, he was beginning to feel uncomfortable seeing this girl trying everything to get some attention she’d never get. At least not right now. “Thanks for everything, Karin. Be safe out there.”

“Yes, uh,” the girl looked at Kakashi again. “Y-You’re welcome. I’ll be going now.”

Kakashi nodded goodbye and watched as Karin turned her back and started to leave, slowly disappearing from his sight. Then, the closed the door and looked over his shoulder again – Sasuke wasn’t there anymore. Kakashi sighed. He looked at the clock and smiled – it was Friday evening. _Perfect_.

“Yo,” he said, after running to Sasuke’s bedroom. He supported his weight on the doorframe and crossed his arms. Sasuke was sat on his bed, looking through the window again. It’s like he was a bird afraid of the real world, didn’t know how to fly with his own wings. Then, the boy turned his face to look at Kakashi. “I’ve been thinking about ordering some pizza for dinner. We have a huge TV and the Warriors are playing tonight. I know you have a basketball under your bed.”

For the first time, Kakashi saw a sincere smile coming from Sasuke.


	5. Go Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like The Xx once said: "so don't say that I'm pushing you away when you're the one that I get closest."
> 
> Go slow...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 10:54pm. I just had a rough (but good!) day, I'm tired and writing an article due Friday. Then, I thought oh well, why not update this fanfic? It became my favorite at the moment, can't wait to finish it - it's like watching your kids grow, you know? Whatever, I really hope you guys enjoy it! Sorry for any grammar mistakes <3

“I used to cheer for the Lakers,” Kakashi said after taking a sip of his soda. Sasuke and him decided to really have pizza that night, sit down on the floor and vibrate with every move from their favorite team. They didn’t know they had something in common. “But dude, isn’t Stephen Curry amazing? My my…”

“He’s the best of the league right now after LeBron James,” Sasuke replied with his eyes glued on the TV. “The Lakers are nice, but since Kobe Bryant retired, it’s not the same.”

“Agreed.” Kakashi chuckled. “Do you play?”

“Used to.”

“Why not anymore?”

Brief silence. _Oh, right. You used to play with Itachi, probably._

“I discovered the internet,” Sasuke shrugged. Kakashi laughed – he didn’t expect that. “It destroyed my basketball dreams.”

“No way.” Kakashi grinned, enjoying the chill feeling floating between them. Sasuke wasn’t a guy of many words, so it was nice to see him carefully showing his real façade and making some noise. “What do you do? Hack other people’s accounts?”

“Same as you, but for free.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

“I _read_.” Sasuke completed with a smirk on his face.

The older man widened his eyes, but relaxed right after. Boys in Sasuke age can be rather surprising when you get to talk to them.

“So…” Kakashi put a hand behind his head, supporting his weight on the sofa behind them. “Karin?” He couldn’t deny he was slightly curious. “Cute girl.”

“If you say so,” Sasuke muttered, looking at the box of pizza on the floor, almost on its end. Then, he took another slice. Meanwhile, Kakashi watched his every move. Definitely he was every girl’s type – calm, controlled and even tone, charming, smart. If Kakashi had a daughter, he’d want Sasuke to be her boyfriend. He was a nice guy, after all.

“If _I_ say so? Yeah, I do say so, Mister.” Kakashi gave the boy a light punch in the arm, making him reel to the side playfully. “It’s all _you_ have to say, though?”

“It isn’t a story a fan of _Make Out Paradise_ would appreciate,” Sasuke teased.

“I’m not about erotic literature twenty four seven, you know,” Kakashi chuckled. “C’mon, tell me your love story with her. Is she a _real_ ginger?”

“She is,” Sasuke laughed. “I, uh… Our parents are friends. I mean, _were_.” Sasuke looked away and muttered, right before looking at Kakashi again. “There was this time in which I was with my friends playing Spin The Bottle. Stupid game, by the way.”

“Oh-ho,” Kakashi started to laugh along. “I know where this is going…”

“Fortunately the bottle didn’t stop on us,” Sasuke continued. “Everybody was kissing and you know… yeah. Everyone but us.” Kakashi frowned. “And she was like, ‘why don’t we kiss so at least the others won’t laugh at us tomorrow at school?’ and I don’t know why I accepted, but I did.”

“Wait, but you guys study together and…?”

“Same classroom. We’re the youngest,” Sasuke rolled his eyes. “This happened before Christmas last year. All our classmates were two, three years older than us.”

“Teenage drama.” Kakashi smiled. “ _And_ underage drinking. Shame on you…”

“She started to treat me as if I’m her boyfriend ever since. It’s… weird. I don’t think I could see her as a partner. Or anything. It’s not like I don’t think about this kind of relationship, but I just don’t see… _her_.”

Then, a moment of silence again, and both of them stared at the TV.

“Yo,” Kakashi muttered, and the boy looked down, avoiding stares. “I’m not the one to boss around and tell you what you have to do but… I was just thinking that… Maybe you should at least call them, if you know what I mean. They really miss you.”

Sasuke knew what Kakashi was talking about. But he didn’t want to know that. He preferred to keep his distance, his space. He wasn’t ready to answer all the questions Naruto and Sakura would ask him; he didn’t want both of them saying the same thing everyone told him – _I’m so sorry for what happened. Please tell me if you need some help_. Honestly, Sasuke was so done with these people he thought that, if it wasn’t for Kakashi, he’d be a silent human being for the rest of his days.

“Maybe some other time,” he replied and then stood up, heading to his bedroom.

“Sasuke?”

“I’m not feeling very well right now, Kakashi. I’m going to sleep. Goodnight.”

 

xXx

 

Five months.

Five months after the accident, five months Sasuke didn’t leave his house, five months since Kakashi started living with him. Minato would call the agent every day to catch up and have news – also, he’d always say how much Naruto missed his best friend, and how worried they all were because the brunet couldn’t even think about spending three hours out of his bed. Two months after his family died, Sasuke started to have a therapist coming to his house twice a week so he could finally learn how to fight his demons. For the first sessions, Sasuke didn’t say a word. He spent one hour looking at the man with a bored expression. Kakashi was sorry – I swear, Sasuke is a nice guy. But he didn’t seem to want to talk about the topic like this. With Kakashi things were _natural_ , at least.

When it completed _one_ year after the accident, Sasuke was already coming back to his routine as a young adult – he’d follow Kakashi when the man went shopping, or going to the library, or just have a nice walk in the park. The silver haired man realized Sasuke really enjoyed having long walks, chatting for a bit and then just be quiet with his thoughts. Good, now they had something to do outside the apartment for leisure. They walked together almost every day – sometimes, Kakashi would let the boy go alone, as he wanted. This had a big influence in Sasuke’s recovery – now he was able to feel like being himself more, slowly gaining the freedom he wanted and deserved. Meanwhile, Kakashi would be at their apartment cooking his favorite meal again. Sometimes, pizza and basketball/volleyball/soccer/football was their way of spending time together. Yes, Sasuke was a fan of sports, and he also had a thing for martial arts, something Kakashi always thought it was interesting.

Sasuke didn’t want to go to Konoha, though.

When it completed _two_ years after the accident, on Sasuke’s 17 th birthday, they went to AC/DC’s concert in Madison Square Garden. It was the first time Kakashi saw Sasuke totally losing himself, jumping, singing and smiling like the world was about to end and he had to enjoy every second of it. It was nice – two years of therapy were finally showing results. Kakashi didn’t have to call Minato anymore – he sent e-mails at least one time a week, talking about Sasuke’s progression in finding his dreams and goals, letting all that angst feeling inside of his heart dissipate from time to time. He’d still spend some time in Itachi’s bedroom, sitting on his hair, taking deep breaths with his eyes closed – it was like getting a massage: Sasuke would feel more relaxed. It was like the thought of his brother would keep his feet on the earth.

He didn’t talk to Naruto or Sakura ever since the accident. Minato would always ask Kakashi if the boy wondered about his friends in Konoha, or wanted to visit them at least, or talk to them, and Kakashi’s response was always be the same:

“He has his own pace, Minato. Sasuke just realized he’s an independent man, let him enjoy this. Taking easy on him was the best decision.”

“I know, I know…” Minato, on the other side, rubbed his temple. “What about college?”

“He’s in. And got into a very good university,” Kakashi shrugged. “I told you already, I guess. He’s studying Architecture.”

“This is…” Kakashi couldn’t see, but Minato certainly had a huge and silly smile on his face. “Kakashi, this is wonderful. I’m proud of him. Of you. Of you guys.”

“Yeah, right?” Kakashi grinned, passing by Sasuke’s bedroom – he was with his headphones on while taking some notes, probably studying. “His brother would be very proud… Sasuke followed his own path and it happened to cross Itachi’s. They’re different, but share the same dream.”

“Do they?”

Kakashi looked at Sasuke all concentrated in a book, and sometimes looking at his computed screen – he had other textbooks around him and annotations, paper all over his table. Those were Itachi’s books, and Sasuke had a little smile reading them all.

“Itachi saw _beauty_ in this world,” Kakashi said. “His parents didn’t understand how he could be so positive all the time and fight for this, for his ideologies without a care. He actually believed in peace, in a bigger energy inside of him, in inspiration. He was pure.”

There was a brief silence. Sasuke realized he was being watched and looked at his door – Kakashi was there, and waved at him. The boy smiled, rolled his eyes, and got back to his reading.

“He didn’t want Sasuke to be part of a corrupted system,” Kakashi continued, “like their parents had to. Yes, they did it to survive, but they couldn’t protect their kids like they wanted to. Sasuke was Itachi’s hope. And wherever he is now, I guess he’s watching over his little brother with a satisfied smile on his face.”

“The difference between them is that Itachi thought he was alone in this world,” Minato replied. “He was Sasuke’s shield, but it was too much pressure for a young boy. You’re right, though – he must be in _peace_ now.”

“He’ll finally rest.”

“Kakashi.”

“Yes, Minato?”

“I think not only you helped Sasuke going through a lot, but he helped _you_ , too.”

Kakashi looked at the brunet again.

“Yeah,” he said in a mutter. “I think that as well.”


	6. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remember when you mom told you about the 'magic words' when you were a kid? Sasuke finally learns it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super small chapter, I just didn't want to leave you guys hanging (plus, the story is ending, I'm very sad). <3

As usual, Kakashi was reading in the living room while Sasuke was studying in his bedroom. In fact, he wasn’t actually paying attention to the words before his eyes – he was totally lost in thoughts. Sometimes, it was a good way to escape reality, a nice disguise – he realized people wouldn’t interrupt him, talk to him, make questions. Also, it kept his mind occupied, whenever said thoughts got too real and started to hurt – then, he’d start reading again.

He didn’t realize that Sasuke was now sitting on the other couch on the living room, hugging his own knees with a lost look on his face. He was worried about something. He wanted to speak, but didn’t want to initiate conversation. A couple of years living with him were enough for Kakashi to learn all his habits, understand how his mind worked.

But, this time, he wasn’t there to talk about himself. Sasuke, just like Kakashi, also had time to understand the older male’s habits. It was like a game between them – Guess What I’m Thinking. Right now, Sasuke couldn’t think about someone who understood him more than Kakashi. And Kakashi, even though the raven haired boy was ten years younger than him, seemed like a friendly face, someone he could open his heart to.

“Her name was Rin.” Kakashi muttered, putting his book aside. Sasuke looked at him, interested. Kakashi closed his brown eyes and took a deep breath, then bit his lower lip, hesitantly about keep going.

He gulped silently. The only person who knew about this story, the biggest demon inside of his head, was Minato, probably. Also, he didn’t expect Sasuke to understand him, but he just had to let it out and he heard.

“We were kids when we first met,” he continued, noting that Sasuke’s eyes were glued on him. “She was my best friend, the first girl I loved. I had all my first experiences with her, you know. We were just… invincible, inseparable. Kids’ stuff.”

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows together, wondering what could’ve happened to Kakashi and his lover. Apparently, not a happy ending.

“Rin was the happiest person I’ve ever met,” Kakashi looked at the ceiling with a silly smile plastered on his face, along with teary eyes. “And she made me happy. But… She found out she was sick and well… I was there, taking care of her. One day she started vomiting blood  and I tried to help but… Got too late to the hospital. She was bleeding everywhere. I still remember her eyes looking at me while I held her. She was calling my name, but I just couldn’t say anything. I couldn’t, or else I’d break down.”

Sasuke’s curiosity came in a whisper: “Did she die?”

Kakashi looked at him again. It was an obvious ending, of course, but he just sighed an nodded in affirmation.

“I wasn’t able to save her.” He said. “The worst feeling is to have someone under your responsibility and not be able to help them. I wish I could exchange bodies with her so she wouldn’t feel pain anymore – also, so I could understand everything she was going through.”

“She probably talked about it with you, right?” Sasuke stood up just to sit down again, this time right beside.

“Talking isn’t the same as  _ feeling _ .” Kakashi muttered. “You’re the one to talk, aren’t you?”

Sasuke didn’t reply.

“I work as a counsellor for Minato and Rin used to do the same. She was way better than me for that. She just loved helping people and I, hm… I just never enjoyed responsibility. When Rin got sick, Minato asked me to take care of her. I thought that maybe responsibility was not a bad thing when it comes to someone you truly love.”

Kakashi’s eyes started to water again.

“Guess I was wrong.” He said, taking another deep breath and then letting silence take over the living room. After a while, the moment the devil inside of him came out, finally: “That was until Minato wanted me to take care of you. Until I met you and started being part of your story. I know you don’t think I’m your friend, I’m just a random guy who was on your bedroom when you woke up after a terrible accident. But I do see you the same way I saw Rin when she was about to die. Someone who wanted, needed help, and begged for it. And even when you don’t say it, I understand what you’re feeling. I know what is like to lose the only person you care about in the world and not forgive yourself for it. But you know, I never thought I’d be so close with someone who’d possibly understand. I’m glad I’m here today, watching you grow up every day, able to understand. Now I know I  _ can _ help. Itachi would be so proud you, certainly.”

Kakashi was expecting Sasuke to say something like ‘whatever’, ‘this is too much drama’, or maybe ‘no, you don’t know how I feel’. But instead of saying anything, Sasuke did something it was a bit out of his character – he hugged Kakashi tightly, enough he could hear the other male’s heartbeat and even feel it through his sweater. Kakashi hugged him back, feeling warm tears streaming down his face. Sasuke just closed his own eyes and stayed there for a moment – it’s been so long since someone seemed to truly care about him, listen to him, show him the right path in life. He was happy Kakashi was the one with him. The man could never replace his parents or his brother, but he was so close; he was the closest thing Sasuke had as a family. And he’d never let this go. He didn’t want to.

One life lesson: no one knows how anyone truly feels.

“Thanks for everything, Kakashi.”

Sasuke showed him the most genuine smile.

**Author's Note:**

> twitter: @springwrites


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